Just Another Mission
by Wuff
Summary: Harry Potter crossover. Currently on hiatus.
1. Platform Nine and Three Quarters

**Author's Note:** I've always wanted to do a Star-Wars-Harry-Potter-crossover and now I've finally started to write this one... I needed a break from my other angst-filled stories ;-) Oh, don't worry, there will be angsty parts in this one too, but most of the time it's a bit lighter than my usual stuff. Hopefully sometimes humorous and/or fluff.

Timeline: This story takes place when Anakin is fifteen years old and he and his Master Obi-Wan are sent on another mission. So it's not _really _AU - who knows, maybe they really had such a mission ;-) It is, however, definitely an AU in the Harry Potter world... The Jedi arrive in Hogwarts when the Marauders (James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew) go to Hogwarts - so there's no Harry yet.

Characters: The story focusses on Anakin and Obi-Wan (will be mostly their point of view...) but takes place in the Harry Potter world, featuring the Marauders, Snape, Lily, Dumbledore, several other teachers and... You-Know-Who.

I have only written this chapter so far and have just started writing the second chapter... I have a rough idea of how the story should end but aside from that I haven't decided many things yet - that means ideas from you are always welcome! I probably won't update this story as regularly as my other story - my focus will stay on "Servants of the Force".

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**Chapter 1**

"How long is it still to go, Master?"

"Patience, my young Padawan learner."

"Yes, Master."

"We should be there in a few minutes."

"You already said that the last time I asked you."

"That was one minute ago."

"So?"

"So it's still a few minutes minus one minute to go."

Anakin rolled his eyes and caught up with his Master's long strides. They were in a little town on a backwater planet called Earth. _Earth_. Really, this planet's inhabitants lacked some imagination if they could not think of a better name to call their homeworld.

Anakin felt slightly self-conscious in his new outfit. He wore a school uniform of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At first, he had liked it very much. It was much like the Jedi robes, though not as comfortable and Anakin still had not understood the meaning of the tie. The best thing about it, however, was its colour: Black, true black - not the darkest dark brown Anakin usually wore. It was a deep satisfaction to him that he was finally not only _allowed_ but also _forced_ to wear black without the Jedi Masters complaining about the dark side in him. But, admittedly, as it was not forbidden anymore, it lost some of its attraction. Obi-Wan had assured him everyone here had to wear this black uniform. However, until now, Anakin had not seen anyone in such a black cloak. That was why he felt somewhat uneasy. Maybe they had landed on the wrong planet. Or the government had changed and there were new clothing habits. Maybe everyone who wore a black Hogwarts school uniform now would be immediately sentenced to death. Normally, Anakin was not overanxious or worrisome but he had seen enough crazy planets, governments and rules during his life as a Jedi.

"How long to go, Master?"

"Patience, my young Padawan learner."

"Yes, Master."

"It's the fifth time you ask me that."

"I'm sorry, Master."

"We should be there in a few minutes."

"Alright." Anakin chewed on his lower lip and was momentarily distracted by his trolley, which had got entangled at the edge at the pavement _again_. He did not like undercover missions where he had to disguise and pretend to be a normal inhabitant of some strange planet. He was not very good at that. His Master, however, always was. Obi-Wan had no problems at all with his trolley. Anakin did a little sprint in order to catch up with his Master, almost tripping over his own feet, which had grown too quickly in a too short time.

"Master?"

"Yes?"

"Are you sure we're on the right planet?"

For the first time during this conversation, Obi-Wan really paid attention to him. He frowned a little. "What gives you the idea we're on the wrong planet?"

"Well, you know, you told me everyone here wore such clothes." Anakin gestured at his and Obi-Wan's outfits. "But they don't. In fact, I haven't seen _anyone_ wearing such clothes at all. Haven't you noticed how everyone stares at us?"

Obi-Wan's frown deepened. "Yes, I noticed that. But our contact assured me we'd absolutely need these clothes or we would attract too much attention."

"And that's why I think this is the wrong planet," Anakin declared.

"I don't think so. This planet is called Earth and this town is called London. So it should be right."

Anakin was now frowning too but he quickly stopped himself. Sometimes it frightened him that he assumed too many of Obi-Wan's habits. "What if it's a trap? What if that contact of yours is a criminal? A _Sith_?"

Obi-Wan shook his head in disapproval. "Don't be so overly dramatic, Anakin. This is just a routine mission, nothing too serious. And by the way, we're there now. That should be King's Cross Station."

They entered a little train station. Obi-Wan led the way to a wall between platforms nine and ten. "Do you feel it?" Obi-Wan jerked Anakin from his contemplation on the other people's clothes. For a minute he had been sure he had seen two girls with black cloaks. Guiltily, Anakin quickly checked the Force around them.

"I'm sorry, Master," he apologised. "I was distracted. I'm afraid I can't feel anything. What was it? Some disruption in the Force?" His hand darted to the lightsabre hilt which was well hidden underneath his uniform.

"Nothing dangerous," Obi-Wan said patiently and only a tad disgruntled. "Reach out to the Force again. Can you feel that wall?"

Anakin did as he was told and he sensed it immediately. "Ah, it's a hologram."

"Not likely. They are very primitive here, they do not have the knowledge to establish such a hologram."

"So what is it then?" Anakin reached for the wall and grabbed through it. "Some optical illusion?"

"Maybe. But I guess it's what they call magic. Search the Force again. If you look very carefully, you'll see that the place where the wall should be is not completely empty. It's almost as if the wall is there - but only very dimly."

"Okay." Anakin closed his eyes and checked the wall again. He was very powerful in the Force, so he quickly noticed what Obi-Wan meant. "I see it." It was as if the structure of the bricks was floating and ever-changing, sometimes being more solid, then again completely permeable.

"Very well. Let this be a lesson to you, Padawan. Your focus must always be on the Here and Now where it belongs. And you must be more careful if you examine something. The first impression may mislead you."

"Yes, Master."

Suddenly, someone behind them softly cleared their throat. "Excuse me?"

The two Jedi turned around and faced a boy who was probably Anakin's age, but much smaller and thicker. He shoved a trolley and grinned apologetically at them. "Could you step aside? It's almost eleven and I don't want to miss the train."

"Sure. Sorry we didn't notice you earlier. We were just so distracted in our conversation." Anakin flashed both the boy and Obi-Wan a big smile when they moved aside. Anakin could not resist it. It was great that Obi-Wan had not noticed the boy. It meant he did not follow the lecture he was just teaching to Anakin. Anakin could certainly use this as an advantage in the future.

Watching the boy go through the wall, Obi-Wan unperturbed went on with his lecture. "Touching the wall just like that was extremely incautious from your part. You could have lost your arm due to some toxic substance. Or you could have been drawn into a black hole."

"Now, who's overly dramatic," Anakin muttered under his breath.

"You mustn't touch anything without knowing what is going to happen. Try and error is too dangerous for a Jedi because error could mean death."

"But how could we have ever known what is going to happen if I had never touched the wall?" Anakin argued and then quickly jumped aside when two boys came running in almost Jedi-speed towards them and raced through the wall.

"You could have just watched what others would do - like those two."

"_They_ definitely are not very cautious."

"They seem to know what they're doing."

"Yes, I agree, but just watching them doesn't grant us certainty it's _really_ safe. I mean, it could be a Jedi-eating wall and so it doesn't do the normal kids any harm."

Obi-Wan sighed and ushered Anakin towards the wall. "Why do I have the feeling you don't listen to me at all?"

"But I listen to you, Master, always!" Anakin protested. "Sometimes I just don't agree with you."

Obi-Wan muttered something like an indignant "_sometimes_" and then they went through the wall. They found themselves on Platform 9 ¾. An old-fashioned, steaming locomotive stood there. To Anakin's great relief, there were several people who wore cloaks. Not necessarily black, but at least cloaks.

"Come on, let's get into the train and find ourselves a quiet compartment," Obi-Wan said.

They chose the last compartment. Obi-Wan _persuaded_ a few students to leave them alone and go to another compartment where they could have so much more fun with their friends. Finally, the train started moving. Anakin stared gloomily out of the window. The train was incredibly slow. Already now, he was bored. He just hoped the ride would be over soon.

"This ride will take about ten hours," Obi-Wan shattered his idle hopes. "So that should be enough time for some instructions."

"I read that file you gave me - the one about magic. I'm afraid I don't understand it," Anakin admitted.

"I'm not sure I understand it either," Obi-Wan said, smiling and frowning at the same time. "But I came to the conclusion that Hogwarts School is probably much like the Jedi Order. It's obviously a school for people with certain abilities and there they are trained in those abilities."

"But they aren't raised there from their births. They go there from the age of eleven. And they are allowed to see their family during their holidays - I mean, they have really long holidays, not just one day off - and they are allowed to send letters to their families."

"Yes." Obi-Wan eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?"

Anakin shrugged and pretended to be offhand. "I just meant to say it's not so much like the Jedi Order. They learn to use their abilities and things but the school doesn't interfere with their private lives."

"And is that good or bad?" Obi-Wan asked and Anakin was sure it was some sort of a test.

"Depends. I haven't seen that school yet, so I'm going to wait with my judgement until I have more insight into the matter."

"That is surely the right thing to do. Anyway, back to magic."

"Yes. I wondered... could it be just another expression for the Force? Maybe they have a more primitive way of using the Force?"

Obi-Wan thoughtfully stroked his beard. "That's what I thought at first too. But then I read about some things they can do with magic and they can do things that we've never been able to do with the Force. Maybe they use the Force in _another _way than we do. Or there is just something specific about this planet."

"You mean like a moon that radiates unusual rays or a certain rock which harbours special powers?"

"Yes." Obi-Wan looked thoughtful for another few moments but then pulled out two sticks from his trunk and handed Anakin one. "Actually, it's not important to know how the magic works. We just have to pretend to be able to use magic."

Anakin twisted the harmless looking stick in his hands and scrutinised it closely. "That's a wand, right?" He had read the info-material Obi-Wan had given him but he had imagined a wand to look more...powerful. He had to admit he was a bit disappointed.

"Yes. Wizards need wands to perform magic."

"Okay... So, how does it work? Can we practise a bit?" Anakin asked eagerly.

"You're not supposed to do real magic. Just swish your wand a bit and murmur some complicated things - you can speak Huttese if you wish - and then do something with the Force."

Anakin would have liked to learn how to do magic but of course he knew that was not the sense in the mission. "What are you going to do? I mean, you're supposed to teach the students - how are you going to teach something you can't do yourself?"

"I'm going to think of something. I could make them work out things for themselves or I teach them only theory."

"Oooh, that's going to be _boring_ classes..."

Obi-Wan grinned a bit. "No one ever claimed I was a good teacher."

Anakin grinned back. "Just be careful. If you're a too horrible teacher they will perhaps sack you."

"You better be careful and behave properly for once in your life or they are going to sack _you_. And that's why I have some new material for you to read. Try to memorise this."

Anakin took the offered datapad. It was the school regulations of Hogwarts. Knowing the rules might be useful. So he started to read. But he did not get far. _Rule # 8: Students are not allowed to throw food through ghosts. _

"Master?"

"Hm?" Obi-Wan looked up from another document he was studying.

"What do they mean by 'ghosts'?"

"Normally ghosts are parts of ancient mythology. Some tribes believe that their ancestors -"

"I know about such religions but Rule Eight says students mustn't throw food through ghosts. How would they know where ghosts are?"

"Maybe it's just a euphemism of saying students are not allowed to throw food. Like a warning. You mustn't throw food because it could hit the spirit of your ancestors."

"Alright. What is a euphemism?"

"It's another way of saying things. Saying things so that they appear to be better than they are."

"Okay." Not really happy with that answer, Anakin continued studying the school regulations. Some of the rules were pretty crazy. For example _Rule # 16b: First years are not allowed to own a broom._ It was definitely crazy. Why should the younger students not be allowed to clean their rooms? Maybe the older students did that for them? It was a pity Anakin was not a first year... Rule # 17 stopped him again. _Students are not allowed to own a poisonous toad / acromantula / Cornish pixies / giant owl / ghoul / niffler / any creature that may cause harm to the other students / the teachers / the school's interior._

"Master?"

"Hm?"

"What is an a-cro-man-tu-la?"

"A what?"

"Yes, rule number seventeen says _Students are not allowed to own a poisonous toad / acromantula / Cornish pixies / giant owl / ghoul / niffler / any creature that may cause harm to the other students / the teachers / the school's interior._"

"Well, then I suppose an acrum - ... whatever is a creature that may cause harm to the other students, teachers, or the school's interior."

"Are you sure?"

"No. But you don't have any animal, so there's nothing to worry about, is there?"

Anakin shrugged and went on reading. But rule number nineteen was difficult again.

"Master?"

"Yes?"

"What is an Unforgivable Curse?"

"I really don't know, Anakin. Couldn't you just skip the passages you don't understand?"

"I haven't understood many so far. Rule One seems pretty easy: _Students are not allowed to damage, vandalise, pollute and contaminate anything of the school's property._ But, you know, I knew that without reading the regulations."

"Yes, Anakin. Could you please be quiet for a few minutes? Because I want to read a bit about the subject in which I'm supposed to be a qualified teacher. If I don't know _anything_ about the dark arts, our disguise is likely to leak out."

"Oh yes. Sorry, Master. I didn't mean to disturb you."

"That's alright. Just try to memorise the rules and maybe you will understand them as soon as you'll have spent a bit of time with the other students."

Anakin tried to memorise all the rules. But soon he only made the effort to memorise those that sounded impressive and important. He skipped the next three or four. Then the next ten rules. He still was not finished with the whole school regulations. Curiously, he scrolled to the end of the document. _Rule # 284: Students are not allowed to hex anyone a runny nose. _

"Master?"

Obi-Wan sighed deeply. "Yes, Anakin?"

"There are, um... I mean, did you know how many rules there are?"

"Is it important right now?" Obi-Wan asked, annoyed.

"Dunno. It's just... There are 284 rules."

"284?" Finally, Obi-Wan looked up from his datapad.

"Yes. And many of them have even an a) or b) and c)!!! Honestly, Master, no one can ever memorise all of them!!!"

"Hm. They must have extraordinary abilities."

"Wow," Anakin said in awe. "They have even more rules than the Jedi. But I can't learn all of them in just one day!"

"No, of course you can't... Let's say, 40 a day?"

Anakin sighed in relief. "Alright. That sounds better. Thanks, Master."

"I guess it's okay if you don't know all the rules yet. I mean, you're new at that school. They can't expect you to know everything yet. I just hope they don't get suspicious if you don't learn as quickly as the rest of the students."

"If it gets complicated I could always use the Force and tell them to go away and forget about the incident."

"I just hope it works with them and their great abilities..."

"You worry too much. Just trust in the Force."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Thanks a lot for the lecture, Padawan. You better learn your 40 rules by heart now."

Anakin thought it was odd that ten hours going by train and just sitting around could be more exhausting than ten hours of hard Jedi training. In any case, he was glad when the train finally stopped. But the journey was not over yet. They still had to go a few minutes in some carriages pulled by winged horselike creatures. When they finally arrived at Hogwarts, it was time for Master and Padawan to separate. It would probably look suspicious if the new student hung around with a teacher all the time.

"Try not to draw too much attention to yourself," Obi-Wan told Anakin for the sixth time today.

"I'll do my best, Master," Anakin assured him, eager to finally mingle with the other students.

"And from now on I'm 'Professor Kenobi', not your 'Master' anymore, okay?"

Anakin grinned. "You're not my Master anymore? That's cool!"

Obi-Wan did not react to that at all. It was a clear warning to Anakin not to do anything stupid. "If you have any questions, contact me via comlink."

"Yes, Ma -" Anakin quickly cleared his throat when he noticed Obi-Wan's stern glance. "Professor, I mean," he said apologetically.

"Why do I have the feeling you do not pay attention to what I say?"

"Sorry, Ma -" Anakin mentally slapped himself and ducked his head.

Obi-Wan gave him a very irritated glance. "Alright, now follow the other students. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you." Anakin was very proud of himself because he had not added a 'Master'. Obi-Wan, however, only worriedly watched him leave.

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**AN: **Did you like it? Was it boring? Should I continue? And what should happen next?


	2. The Sorting Hat

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for your reviews! I really enjoyed reading them! I post short review replies on my profile because it's not allowed to post them here with the chapter... I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

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**Chapter 2**

Hogwarts was a beautiful old-fashioned building. It was much smaller but more luxuriant than the rather plain Jedi Temple. Anakin was relieved to see that really everyone here wore the set of black robes he had been given. The inhabitants were all humanoid. At the walls hung moving, hologram-like pictures, which greeted Anakin politely. Anakin was almost too late for the feast in the Great Hall because he replied all the people's greetings and presented himself. He realised too late that hardly anyone of the other students paid attention to the "hologram"-people. So he quickly excused himself to an old lady and hurried to catch up with the rest of the crowd. He entered the Great Hall, quickly looked around and checked the Force for any danger. It was difficult to sense anything particular in the Force when many excited people were assembled in one place, so he gave that up. He spotted Obi-Wan sitting at a table with the other teachers and he looked relatively relaxed. Surely, Obi-Wan would have sensed if anything was wrong. So there was really no reason for Anakin to double-check everything. Aside from the teacher table, there were four other long tables. Anakin assumed there were some rules where you had to sit, so he addressed a friendly looking girl with red hair, who was one of the last to enter the hall too.

"Excuse me, I'm new here. Are there some rules where you have to sit? Could you tell me where I have to go?"

"Sure. Have you already been chosen?"

"Yes, I guess," Anakin stated confidently. He had no idea what she was talking about but he was the Chosen One, right?

"Okay, which house are you in?"

"Um..." Anakin smiled apologetically at her. "I guess I haven't been chosen yet. I misunderstood you. Sorry."

"That's alright. So I'd suggest you just wait until the first years arrive and then you line up with them. Which grade will you be in?"

"Fifth year. And you?"

"I'm fifth year too. I'm Lily and that's Remus." She indicated a boy standing next to her. He seemed to be of the same age. "We're the prefects of Gryffindor."

"Ah, pleased to meet you." Anakin shook hands with both of them. "I'm Anakin Skywalker."

"Hi," the boy called Remus said. "We'd better sit down now. The first years are coming. Just follow them and do what they do. It's nothing difficult or dangerous. See you later."

"Thanks for your help." Anakin lined up with the first years. He felt really stupid between all these small kids. They looked _extremely_ small. So he directed all the glances towards him. _So much about not drawing attention to me_, Anakin thought. He caught Obi-Wan's glance and his Master did not look happy at all with his behaviour, which was unfair, really. Anakin had not had another choice. Then a woman who was perhaps a bit older than Obi-Wan but was frowning just as much brought in an old-looking hat. The hat started singing a horribly rhymed song about Hogwarts' history. Anakin listened closely and by the end of the song he was a bit cleverer what the choosing and the houses were about. He was not sure he liked that. It reminded him too much of the day he had been tested by the Jedi Council. They had seemed to be able to look through him right down at the very bottom of his soul. What if that hat told him he was too old? Or that there was too much fear in him, which could lead him to the dark side? What if the hat detected dark side in him? It took an eternity until it was finally Anakin's turn to put on the hat.

"Hello." There was suddenly a squeaking voice in his head.

"Hello there," Anakin said, a tad uncomfortably. "When you said you'd place the students in houses because of their character traits and their abilities, does that mean you can actually see through me or do I have to tell you about myself and then you decide?"

"Hm, you're an impatient one, aren't you?" the hat replied, slightly amused.

"I know, that's what my Master says," Anakin admitted openly. He quickly bit his lip. He shouldn't have said that! "My father, I mean," he corrected himself.

"Indeed. Well, concerning your questions: I can more or less see through you but you could help me of course and tell me about yourself."

"Well, I'm... impatient, undisciplined, and I can't control my anger... I'm pretty bad at self-control, actually," Anakin enumerated all the things his Master kept telling him. "I'm disobedient, messy, chaotic, sometimes arrogant, too unpredictable... Yeah, that's it. Aside from that, I'm pretty good at everything."

"Hm, interesting, indeed, indeed. In addition to that, you are brave, yes, extremely brave, you are _powerful_. Yes, you would make a fine Slytherin."

"Okay…"

"Do you think pureblood is important?"

_What's it talking about __**now**?_"Yes…," Anakin said slowly, not really sure what the hat expected him to say. "I think it's very important," he added for emphasis.

"Indeed," the hat muttered.

"Is that good or bad?" Anakin asked boldly.

"Depends on the point of view. To the Slytherins, pureblood is very important. The other three houses rather despise such an attitude towards blood and your heritage."

Anakin already felt sorry for the Slytherins. It was unfair of the other students to shun them just because they had another opinion. "So the students from the different houses don't like each other?" he asked curiously.

"Alas, there's much rivalry between the houses. But let's get back to the matter at hand. Where do I put you? Hmm, you are very loyal to your friends. That's not a Slytherin characteristic. You're loyal to the very end. And you are also intelligent."

Anakin blushed deeply because of that amount of compliments. He wished his Master could hear that...

"Hm, what am I going to do with you?"

"Just put me anywhere, I don't really care. But please not into the house with the many intelligent ones, I'd surely make myself look stupid there."

"Would you? Alright, if you say so... What about Gryffindor?"

"Dunno... That was the house with the brave ones, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Well, sounds nice. Could you put me there?" As Anakin had already got to know two students from Gryffindor and they had seemed nice enough, that seemed a good decision.

"So it be GRYFFINDOR!" The hat declared loudly so the whole hall could hear it.

"Thanks," Anakin whispered and took the hat down. The students at the Gryffindor table applauded and cheered loudly for him, which was really nice. Anakin threw a glance to the teacher table, where Obi-Wan applauded politely along with the other teachers. Anakin gave him a brief smile (which his Master did not return of course because he would always play his role so perfectly) and then he looked for a place at the Gryffindor table. He recognised the boy he had met earlier, Remus, and sat down next to him.

"Welcome to Gryffindor," Remus said and smiled at him.

"Thanks," Anakin said, pleased of such a warm welcome. It was already _very_ different from his first day in the Jedi Temple.

"These are my friends, James Potter, Sirius Black," Remus indicated the two boys sitting opposite him, "and that's Peter Pettigrew." A small boy sitting next to Remus on the other side grinned sheepishly at Anakin. Suddenly Anakin recognised him.

"Hey, I've already seen you in front of Platform 9 ¾," Anakin said enthusiastically. "Do you remember? I and... Professor Kenobi were discussing things and you asked us to get out of your way so you could go through the barrier."

"Ah, that was you."

"Who's Professor Kenobi?" the boy called Sirius asked curiously.

"He used to be my private tutor," Anakin explained the story Obi-Wan had made up for them. "And then he got the post as the new teacher for Defence against the Dark Side."

"It's called Defence against the Dark _Arts_," Peter corrected him.

"Oh, yeah." Anakin shrugged it off. "What did I say?"

"Dark Side."

"Ah yes. That's probably because Professor Kenobi sometimes uses other words than the standard things here at Hogwarts. You know, he comes from another country, that's why. And he taught me many years and it kind of rubbed off, I think."

"What's he like?" Remus asked curiously. "Is he okay as a teacher?"

"He's great. He knows lots of stuff and he's very patient with me. I'm very thankful, um, that he has taught me all those years." In reality, there were many days when Anakin did not think Obi-Wan was great. He often thought Obi-Wan was much too strict, too cold, too serious and too meticulous. It was okay to think such things but Anakin would never say a bad word about his Master in public.

"That's good," James said. "The last Defence against the Dark Arts teachers we had were all crap."

"Yeah, the last year was pure horror," Sirius said. "I can't remember another year where I got so much detention. Let's hope that Kikibo is not such a stupid ass."

"His name is _Kenobi,_" Anakin corrected Sirius.

Then the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore stood up and made a speech. Anakin liked him immediately. He was nice and funny and _still_, everyone seemed to respect him highly. Anakin thought that Obi-Wan should take a leaf out of his book.

Professor Dumbledore introduced Obi-Wan to the students and Anakin applauded politely with the other students. Of course, Obi-Wan did not spare him a glance. Then, finally, it was time to eat. The food was delicious. Anakin was really glad they were on such a mission. He hated missions where you had nothing to eat but protein bars for weeks.

"Do you like Quidditch?" James asked him curiously.

"Yeah, I think so," Anakin said indifferently. The truth was, he had no idea what, in the name of the Force, Quidditch was. Why had Obi-Wan not given him any information about that?

"I'm the captain of the Gryffindor team," James stated proudly.

"That's cool," Anakin said and quickly busied himself with eating again.

"James is a Quidditch-fanatic," Remus told Anakin. "I hope your favourite team is the Tutshill Tornados, otherwise your life is in danger."

Anakin grinned knowingly at Remus. He concluded Quidditch was a sport. Hopefully something with fast vehicles.

"I'm still looking for another Chaser," James informed him. "On Friday, there will be the tryouts. Why don't you come? Do you have your own broom?"

"Um, no, I'm afraid not." _Shit, what is he talking about???_

"You can borrow mine," Remus offered. "I was on the team last year but I was ill during the most important match and so he kicked me out of the team. That's James. A great friend."

"Just shut up, Moony," James said good-naturedly. "As the captain, I have a responsibility towards the whole Gryffindor house. I cannot afford a player who gets ill during the most important matches."

"Yeah, and Moony gets ill all the time," Sirius said, grinning mischievously at Remus (or 'Moony'???). "He's a real wimp."

Remus just rolled his eyes and continued eating relatively unperturbed by the insult.

"So, Anakin, something important you should know," Sirius addressed Anakin. "It's a Marauder tradition to test a new teacher by playing some pranks on him. Well, could you give us a few tips concerning Kinnobi?"

Anakin pricked up his ears. Playing pranks on Obi-Wan? That sounded _great_!!! He had already tried, of course, but so far, Obi-Wan had always noticed too early and had spoilt the prank. And afterwards, naturally, Anakin had had to do a lot of meditation on how he should behave towards his Master. "Well, he certainly needs to loosen up a bit," Anakin told the four boys. "He's often too strict and too serene. He always keeps to the rules, always worries and _never_ relaxes. Maybe we could -"

"Ah, I got an idea!" James said enthusiastically. "That will be so _amazing_! Thanks for your help, Anakin!"

"What, what, what?" Peter asked eagerly.

"Later, I'll tell you in our dormitory," James said, a broad grin spread over his face.

"Come on, Prongs, please!" Peter pleaded.

"Later, later..."

"Uh, by the way, where can I sleep?" Anakin asked them.

"All the Gryffindor boys of one class share a dormitory," Remus explained. "We'll show you after the feast."

They finished their meal very quickly because they were all curious to learn what James planned for "Professor Kenobi". The boys' dormitory had cosy-looking four-poster beds.

"Now, spill the beans, Prongs," Sirius said and dropped down on his bed. The other four boys gathered around him.

"Hm, Anakin, do you like The Boggarts?" James asked mischievously.

"Yes," Anakin replied casually.

"And Kenobi? What kind of music does he like?"

"I have no idea," Anakin said, confused. "I don't think he listens to music at all."

"He certainly doesn't like The Boggarts, does he?"

"No, not at all," Anakin stated confidently, desperately hoping he did not say anything wrong. "I remember I once listened to The Boggarts and he grumbled something about uncivilised noise."

"Great." James rubbed his hands in anticipation. "He probably likes Celestina Warbeck?"

"Yeah, I think he does."

The four boys grimaced and made sounds of disgust. _Sorry for that, Master_, Anakin thought slightly guiltily, _I didn't mean to create you a bad taste of music_.

"And I thought he looked too young for Celestina Warbeck," Remus said, shaking his head.

"Perhaps you have to be older to be able to relax and have fun," Anakin mused.

"Like Dumbledore," Peter said.

_And Yoda_, Anakin added in thought.

"Anyway, I thought about making Kenobi dance and sing 'My Wand Explodes'," James explained proudly. The other boys erupted into laughter and Anakin laughed along with them. He had no idea what 'The Boggarts' and 'My Wand Explodes' meant but the mere idea of a dancing and singing Obi-Wan was utterly hilarious.

When they had all calmed somewhat down, Anakin asked, "But how are you going to make him sing and dance?"

"That's easy," James said casually. "We just have to brew a little My-Wand-Explodes-Potion and then we're going to use _Tarantallegra_ on him."

Anakin slapped himself against his forehead. "Ah yes, of course, I didn't think of that. Easy, really."

"James, you can't seriously make him sing 'My Wand Explodes'," Remus said, torn between amusement and scepticism. "That's... No, the lyrics are too..."

"But that's the whole point of it!" Sirius exclaimed. "Anakin, does he have a wife or girlfriend?"

"No, of course not!" Anakin protested. The other four stared at him. "I mean..." Anakin blushed a little bit. He really should pay more attention to what he said. "Honestly, which woman would want _him_ as her boyfriend?" he tried to explain away. _I'm truly sorry for that, Master, but you will certainly acknowledge that I have to do it for the success of our mission._

"Is he so bad?" Sirius said. "I thought you said he was a great teacher."

"Yes, well, he is," Anakin said awkwardly. "He really is... Um, I just have never seen him with a woman."

"How very strange," Remus said sarcastically. "He certainly wouldn't bring his girlfriend to your lessons, right?"

"Who cares?" James said. "Let's start with the preparations. We need to brew the potion. I can donate some butterbeer. Moony, you got the other ingredients?"

"Do you really want to do that?" Remus asked worriedly.

"What?" Sirius sneered. "Now that you're a prefect you leave the Marauders, or what?"

Remus blushed. "I-I didn't... I mean..."

"Come on, or do you guys want to work throughout the night?" James said impatiently, pulled a large cauldron out of his trunk and emptied a bottle of honey-coloured drink into it.

"Did you just say that's butterbeer?" Anakin asked suspiciously.

"Yes, it is," James answered nonchalantly. "Moony, will you finally give me the other ingredients?"

"Alright, alright," Remus muttered and handed him lots of other stuff Anakin did not recognise.

"But that's not allowed, is it?" Anakin prodded.

Sirius gave him a funny look. "What exactly do you mean?"

"Butterbeer. Doesn't Rule 34 of the school regulation say: _Students are not allowed to store butterbeer / firewhiskey / bubble champagne / elven wine / troll mead / any other drink with even the slightest alcoholic content in their rooms or anywhere else in the castle._" Now all four of them were staring at Anakin, their mouths hanging open. Anakin winced slightly. "That's not right?" he said, embarrassed. "I'm not so sure yet, I'm new here... It was Rule 33, wasn't it?"

Suddenly, Sirius erupted into loud laughter. "Man, you really gave me the creeps!" He clapped Anakin hard on his back. "For a moment, I thought you were being serious. Sure, you're absolutely right, it's definitely Rule 33."Anakin was getting more and more confused when the others giggled hilariously too.

"We should really work on that now," James reminded them. He was cutting the stuff Remus had given to him with some really primitive knifes and scissors. "This potion is our speciality," he informed Anakin in the meantime. "We used it last year on Snivellus to make him sing Celestina Warbeck." They laughed again and it took them much time to calm down.

"Gee, that was the best day of my life," Sirius giggled. "_Come with me to Taaaaraaaa_", he piped in a high-pitched voice, _"there's magic in the air, just for you-hou and meeee-heeee_."

"Snivellus is our archenemy," James explained. "He's the slimiest creature ever. You'll recognise him immediately when you see him. A long nose and lots of stuff dripping out of it."

In his mind, Anakin pictured a Hutt, singing the love-song Sirius had just performed. He saw their point. He hoped he would learn how to brew such potions too, here in Hogwarts.

"And we made McGonagall do a rap," Sirius continued dreamily.

"She wasn't that bad," Remus said. "Her glasses broke during the performance, though. When she was doing acrobatics on the floor."

"My ears were still ringing three days afterwards because of her temper tantrum."

Anakin listened attentively. That McGonagall sounded like a potential criminal if she could not control her anger. Maybe that Voldemort-guy had disguised as her and had sneaked into Hogwarts posing as a teacher – just like Obi-Wan did.

"Yeah, and we got two months detention in the library," James continued.

"But it was worth it," Sirius said, chuckling at the memory.

"Definitely," Peter agreed.

"So everyone," James declared loudly, "the potion is finished so far. Time to turn on the music."

"Here we go." Sirius put _something_ into _something else_ and then hell broke loose. Anakin jumped at the first beat of the "music". It was loud. Really, really loud. A man was screaming something. Anakin could not understand a word. In addition to the screaming, there was some ear-splitting rushing and extremely loud drumbeats. Anakin used some of his Jedi exercises to relax and ignore the noise. He was utterly relieved when it was finally over. "Always great to listen to that amazing song again," he said dryly.

"Yeah, it's definitely my favourite," Sirius said. "Shall we listen to it once again?"

"Uh, no, no," Anakin said quickly. "I've still got... I've still got... I'm tired, really. I want to be well rested for my first school day at Hogwarts."

"Yes, you're right. Let's go to bed," Sirius said. It was odd that he was not suspicious because of Anakin's strange behaviour...

But soon Anakin would see why they had agreed so quickly to go to bed without listening to the song again. When he lay down, there was suddenly a squelching sound and his pyjama trousers got disgustingly wet. Alarmed, Anakin jumped up again. He already had his hand on his lightsaber hilt but when the other boys doubled over with laughter, he relaxed.

"What the..." On top of everything, the room was filling with a disgusting smell. "Urgh." Anakin gulped. "What's that?"

"Really, Anakin, you're disgusting," Sirius, who held his nose, cackled.

Anakin looked from one to the other, and finally he joined in their laughter. He probably deserved it. If it was a tradition to play a prank on a new teacher, it certainly was a tradition, too, to play a prank on a new student. That was really alright.

"Open the windows!" Remus shouted and they ran towards the windows, opened them and leant out of them, taking in deep breaths. The air smelled pure here, not like the recycled, exhaust-gas-poisoned air on Coruscant.

"It's nice here," Anakin said.

James clapped him on his back. "You got some backbone, man. Welcome to Hogwarts."

"And I thought you were so afraid of us that you had made a mess in your pants," Sirius teased him good-naturedly.

"Dungbombs in our own dormitory was not the cleverest idea we ever had," Remus said, pinching his nose.

Anakin refrained from pointing out to them that it was absolutely forbidden to use dungbombs in the school. He had already forgotten which rule it was, and it seemed as if the other boys did not care so much about rules anyway. Anakin liked that.

"We have new bedclothes for you," Remus told him.

"Yeah, that's Remus." James gave Remus a friendly punch. "He insisted that - if we really have to play such a _cruel_ joke - we have at least new bedclothes for you so you can sleep in a dry bed." James shook his head in mock-despair. "Moony is just too human for this world."

"I'm completely normal," Remus protested. "It's just you who are so... _bestial_."

Anakin did not get most of the jokes the other boys exchanged - they were insiders, certainly - but he felt comfortable here nonetheless. He was really looking forward to tomorrow's classes. He finally wanted to learn magic. And he was curious to see the students' superpowers - if they were really superpowers.


	3. Ghosts and Pranks

**Author's Note: **Review replies can be found on my profile page again. Thanks for reading!

Warning: ghosts, evil students, crazy Obi-Wan and long-suffering Anakin in this chapter :D

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Anakin's first classes at Hogwarts School was History of Magic. A ghost would teach them, as Remus explained to him. Anakin would have liked to ask what exactly a ghost was and how it could teach a class. Or was it a... _euphemism_ of saying 'meditation'? Anyway, Anakin could not ask anyone because certainly it was common knowledge to understand what it meant if a ghost was to teach a class.

When the classes started, it proved to be not as spectacular as you would have imagined. The so-called ghost was nothing but a very pale man who seemed to be floating slightly above the ground. But it was scary. Was that man really dead? Anakin shuddered involuntarily.

The other students, however, did not seem to be disturbed in the slightest. Sirius bent to Anakin and said in a low voice, "We think Binns still has not realised he has died. One night, he died, but the next morning, he continued teaching as if nothing had happened."

Anakin shuddered again. That man thought he was still alive but he was already dead? Then how...? And should not someone tell him he was dead? What did it mean? Would the 'ghost' rot slowly in front of their eyes? Or would he just vanish into thin air? Nothingness... _There is no death, there is the Force_, Anakin recalled the Jedi Code. But it did not help much. When he thought of death, he thought of black, cold, lonely emptiness. So what about this ghost? Could he still feel anything or was everything already empty to him? Or would he teach them about death? Anakin rather hoped he would not do that.

Then, however, the ghost spoke and his voice sounded relatively normal and humanoid, and he did not even say scary things but just a usual, "Good morning."

"Good morning," Anakin replied nervously. He immediately realised something was wrong. Everyone was staring at him. The pale man even looked at him as if he had done something impudent. Awkwardly, Anakin cleared his throat. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to..." Was it forbidden to talk to a ghost? Anakin had not read the whole school regulations yet - maybe that was a very important rule. Would talking to a ghost wake it up from death or make it realise it was dead?

The ghost kept staring at him with his scary milky white, dull eyes. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, Sir," Anakin reassured him. "Everything's fine. I'm the new student. My name is Anakin Skywalker."

"M-hm." The ghost absent-mindedly nodded and then he simply started with the lesson. He talked about the Goblin Wars and Anakin tried to listen very carefully. It was always important to learn as much as possible about a new planet because it might come in useful later during the mission. _Knowledge is a more powerful weapon than a lightsaber_, was something Obi-Wan liked to say. Anakin suspected the ghost used a Force- or magic-mind-trick. His voice was dull and it gave you an unusual desire to fall asleep. It was certainly a test on how to block others from your mind. It was exhausting but Anakin was quite good at it compared to the other students, of whom many did not listen at all but were resting their heads on their desks.

Anakin's next classes was Defence against the Dark Arts, which Obi-Wan taught. Anakin was curious to see what Obi-Wan planned to teach a group of wizards who knew much more about the subject than the teacher himself. And he was really looking forward to the prank they planned to play on Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan entered the classroom. He looked really strange in the black robes. "Good morning," he said politely.

"Good morning," Anakin replied. Only a few of the other students mumbled a sleepy "morning" in reply. Anakin frowned. It was strange no one said properly 'Good morning' here. But this school was strange anyway, especially with the ghosts. The ghost-thing was still bothering Anakin and he hoped he would soon find an opportunity to talk about it to Obi-Wan. Most of the times, his Master could explain everything and make Anakin's fears go away.

"I am Professor Kenobi, the new teacher for Defence against the Dark Arts," Obi-Wan presented himself smoothly. "As a start, I would like to discuss the nature of the _Dark Arts_ with you today. So, who of you can give me a good definition of the _Dark Arts_?"

Lily, the girl with the red hair, raised her hand. "Dark Arts means all the curses and potions which include dark magic."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "This is not a good definition because in order to explain 'the Dark Arts' you used the word 'dark'. Now, the question remains: What is dark magic?"

"Magic used to harm other people," another girl answered.

"Hm, alright. What do you do if someone attacks innocent children? What if you kill that attacker in order to save the children? Do you perform dark magic then?"

Now Anakin raised his hand. It was such an easy question. He had hoped he learned something more exciting in this lesson. "No, you don't perform dark magic as long as your thoughts are free from any feelings of revenge and hate. If you kill that person in order to protect innocent lives, it has nothing to do with the dark... arts."

"That is correct." Obi-Wan, however, did not look happy with that answer.

"Ah, Professor, then you think it's perfectly alright to use the Avada Kedavra Curse as long as you do it to save other people?" James asked.

"Ah, well. The question is to you," Obi-Wan addressed the rest of the class. "Would it be alright to use... that curse under such circumstances?"

"Well, the law is pretty obvious concerning that, isn't it?" James said again.

"Yes, indeed," Obi-Wan said confidently. "So your answer to the question is clear. Now, back to the definition of the Dark Arts. What exactly are they?"

"I think Evans's definition was wrong," a dark-haired boy said. "The Dark Arts is not only about magic and potions. I mean, we also learn to defend ourselves against creatures like vampires, werewolves, ghouls, dementors and so on. So you could say the Dark Arts simply means evil in general."

"Evil in general," Obi-Wan repeated thoughtfully. "What is evilness?"

"Merlin's Beard," Sirius groaned without being asked to speak, loud enough for Obi-Wan to hear. "Is this philosophy classes? I thought we were learning something useful. I don't know if it will help me survive against a Deatheater if I start a discussion with him about the _nature of evil_." Sirius sneered mockingly.

Anakin frowned. So did Obi-Wan. "What is your name?" Obi-Wan asked him sternly.

"Sirius Black."

"Well, Sirius, it is my decision what is useful for you to learn and what is not," Obi-Wan said in his strictest Master-voice. "You must know against whom or what you fight. You must know what evilness is if you do not wish to succumb to the dark side yourself. You must know to distinguish between good and evil. Because how else can you have a justification for fighting the so-called evil?"

"I think someone who kills and tortures people is pretty obviously evil," Sirius said haughtily.

"If it was always so easy to determine evil, life would be simple. Unfortunately, it is not. Often, good and evil is intermingled. Things born from good will can turn out to be evil or the other way around."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It might still be useful to be able to defend yourself if some lunatic tries to kill you."

Obi-Wan gave him a piercing glance. "I am the teacher here and I decide what I teach. And I decided to teach you some fundamental understanding concerning the light and the dark side today. You will learn other things later but if you do not know _why_ you learn them, it might become dangerous for you."

"Oh, Professor, I am touched," Sirius said in a mocking voice, smiling widely at Obi-Wan. "You care so much for our well-being."

"Sirius Black, your behaviour is very unbefitting. Please go outside for a few minutes and think about what you just said." It was the tone Anakin feared. It was calm but it did not allow arguing. It was the sort of tone Obi-Wan used when Anakin had really disappointed him and had shown once again that he was not the sort of Jedi Obi-Wan wanted him to be.

Feeling a little sympathy for Sirius, Anakin threw his classmate an encouraging glance. Sirius, however, was not disturbed in the least. He got up and threw Obi-Wan one more mocking smile. "Sure, Professor Kockatoo. Thanks for the free time." Anakin gaped in shock. But soon, he forgot his shock because when Sirius headed for the door, he threw something into Obi-Wan's face: a red little bag which exploded and covered his face with orange liquid. Anakin recognised it as the potion James had brewed.

"What the -," Obi-Wan started, clearly annoyed. His hand was at his lightsaber hilt but then James pointed his wand at Obi-Wan and said, "Tarantallegra." Obi-Wan opened his mouth again but out came some very strange noise. Anakin had never before heard Obi-Wan shout something so loudly. Normally, Obi-Wan _never_ shouted. But now he was... well, _singing_ would be the wrong word. It was the screaming from yesterday evening, only now it was Obi-Wan who did the screaming and there were - fortunately - no drumbeat and other instruments. The class erupted into laughter and so did Anakin. Certainly nobody laughed as hard as he did because they did not know Obi-Wan well enough to see the full hilarity of the situation. It got even better when Obi-Wan started shaking his head and jumping wildly around. Then he grabbed some of his own books and other items and started throwing them through the classroom in ecstasy. He waved his black cloak and roared something like, "Ooohooohooo - ba - by - my wahahahahahand explohohohohohohohohohodes!!!" Anakin doubled over with laughter when he saw Obi-Wan's expression, which was utter shock and blank horror at the things he was doing. Never before had he seen his Master lose control like this. Yes, Obi-Wan could be very active in battle but there was always something which seemed to hold him back. Now he was shaking his hair maniacally and his voice was doubling over at the noise he was forced to produce. He grabbed his chair and threw it through the classroom, forcing the students to duck their heads to avoid it. It seemed the flight of the chair had been intensified by the Force; in any case, it slammed forcefully into the window and broke it.

Unbidden, Anakin remembered Rule # 1 of the school regulations: _Students are not allowed to damage, vandalise, pollute and contaminate anything of the school's property. _It looked much like Obi-Wan had – involuntarily – broken that rule. Anakin cheered along with his classmates, spurring Obi-Wan on to go on with his great performance.

Soon, however, Obi-Wan's voice got hoarse from the unusual use of his voice. Lily did something with her wand and finally Obi-Wan stopped his crazy dance. The class laughed, cheered and applauded. Obi-Wan coughed a few times and then straightened his hair and cloak. Anakin's laughter died on his lips when he saw Obi-Wan's glance. Obi-Wan tried to speak a few times but as his voice was still hoarse and the majority of the class was still roaring with laughter, it took him some time until he was heard.

"If you think that was funny, then you should probably go back to the kindergarten. I am here to teach you. I am here to teach you important things for your future. I want to help you and what do you do? You just play childish pranks. If you want to mock me, well, go on, I will not stop you. But I assure you one thing: I will not teach you any longer. I cannot teach students who do not want to learn anything. This here, this lesson, this school is an offer for you. An offer to learn something and you just throw it away, mocking it. If you do not want to learn anything, alright, that's your problem. But I am sure here are a few people who are mature enough to understand the importance of learning. Trust me, being a teacher is not an easy job. So I do not want anyone here who disturbs my lessons and who hinders the more mature students. How selfish is that of you! Don't you think I have not more important things to do than trying to get discipline into a bunch of fifteen-year-olds - yes, you are fifteen years old, not five! I give you one last chance: Anyone who is not interested in my teachings is free to leave. Please do it! I do not want little children here. If you want to play, go outside. So, go now."

Anakin swallowed. Obi-Wan had seldom before been so angry. Well, angry was the wrong word. Annoyed was better. Annoyed and disappointed.

With exclamations of joy, James and Sirius got up, grabbed their bags and ran out of the classroom, waving enthusiastically at Obi-Wan and shouting a "Thank you!" Several other students followed, though not as loudly. Anakin could not believe they did that and took Obi-Wan by word. It had been a warning, yes, but surely Obi-Wan had not really expected them to leave, had he? He had only wanted to make them rethink their behaviour. Hardly anyone seemed to be as impressed by Obi-Wan's speech as Anakin. More students sneaked out of the room until there were only Anakin, Remus and Lily left.

"Sorry, Professor Kenobi," Remus said uneasily. "It's kind of a tradition, you know? We, um, play pranks on every new teacher."

"What is your name?"

"Remus Lupin, Sir."

"Okay, Remus. You heard what I said. If you rather want to play pranks, you'd better leave and do not come back to my classes. By the way, I did not think it was funny."

Remus bit his lip. "Yes, Professor. I'm sorry." He, too, left the room. Lily followed him quickly.

Now, there was only Anakin left. He felt very exposed, sitting alone between all the suddenly empty desks.

Obi-Wan straightened his hair again, brushed some of the orange liquid out of his face and coughed a few times. "Get out of here," he said harshly.

"You said everyone who doesn't want to learn is to leave. But I do want to learn," Anakin protested. He hoped that would cheer Obi-Wan up a little bit.

"I told you to ge-get -" Obi-Wan's voice cracked because it was still so hoarse from the shouting. Somehow, that made everything even worse. "...to get out of here." Obi-Wan made an angry noise and started picking up the things he had involuntarily thrown throughout the room. Suddenly, he looked extremely old: kneeling on the floor, bent over and slowly collecting the items. He looked old and lonely.

With a big lump in his throat, Anakin jumped up. "Wait, Master, I - I'm going to help you," he said and eagerly hurried through the room, gathering the things in his arms. He avoided looking Obi-Wan in the eye and just put the stack of books down on Obi-Wan's desk. He desperately waited for Obi-Wan to say something but his Master just silently placed his things in his briefcase without paying attention to Anakin.

"Erm, Master...," Anakin said uncertainly, stepping from one foot to the other.

"Be at my office at 6pm. It's detention," Obi-Wan said curtly.

"Yes, Master," Anakin said dutifully. That was alright. He certainly deserved detention. He would do his detention and then everything would be fine again, as it always was: Anakin would do something stupid, Obi-Wan would give him detention and afterwards things would be back to normal. Fortunately, Obi-Wan was not a resentful person. "I'm sorry for what happened..."

But Obi-Wan did not stay to listen to Anakin's apologies. He quickly strode away, trying to keep up his dignity. _Maybe that's what we did_, Anakin thought sadly. _Playing a prank is not wrong in general but if you take someone's dignity from them... _

The rest of the day was not very nice. Anakin mostly avoided the other students because they were still talking enthusiastically on how their new teacher had sung and danced - that is: freaked out. In the blink of an eye, the whole school knew. Then Anakin spent a lot of time in the library in order to do his homework for Transfiguration. He had not understood a word Professor McGonagall had told them and he had no idea what and where to look for in the library. There was no one he could ask. In addition to that, thoughts about the ghosts kept haunting him. When he went to Obi-Wan's office at 6pm, he really hoped Obi-Wan was in a mood to talk about it.

Obi-Wan definitely was _not_ in such a mood. He gave Anakin ink, a feather, a scroll of parchment and several books. "Read them through and write a summary of each chapter," he instructed Anakin curtly. "Do it thoroughly because I'll need that information in order to be able to teach. And that means it is for the sake of our mission. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Master," Anakin said in a small voice and immediately busied himself with his work. The first book was a book about the so-called Unforgivable Curses. It was not nice to read and it scared Anakin still more than he already was with his dark thoughts on ghosts. There were very detailed descriptions and vivid drawings of tortured people. In addition to that, the book was very thick, the letters were small, the sentences were long and there were many expressions Anakin had never heard before. _And _he had to write with a feather and ink. At first, that primitive way of writing had seemed exciting to Anakin. After several hours, however, when his right hand hurt like crazy, he rethought that idea of excitement. The whole time, Obi-Wan had kept silent. He was reading several parchments in deep concentration. Anakin hardly dared to look up from his work for a second. If just his hand would not be that cramped! It was shaking uncontrollably and his letters were getting more and more scratchy. And if he was not so hungry and thirsty! Obi-Wan had made himself something to eat in between but Anakin had not got anything.

"Anakin, how am I supposed to read that?!" Obi-Wan's annoyed and accusing voice made him jump and - there was a new big blot of ink on the last paragraph he had written.

"_Shit!_" he cursed.

"Will you stop using swearwords," Obi-Wan said and he was even more annoyed than Anakin. "Write that paragraph again and write it in a way I can read it."

Subdued, Anakin nodded, suppressed a sigh and got back to work. His eyes were burning with exhaustion, causing the small letters to blur. Every move with the feather took him an effort. Anakin had never thought writing something could actually hurt. _I was better off as a slave at Watto's_, he thought in an odd way of self-irony. _If I had known life as a Jedi would be like this, I would have preferred to stay on Tatooine. To stay with Mum. _

Finally, at long last, Obi-Wan allowed him to leave. "Come back tomorrow at the same time."

"Yes, Master," Anakin said tiredly. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Obi-Wan replied curtly without even looking at him.

Exhaustedly, Anakin stumbled back to his dormitory (he took the wrong way four times) where he just dropped down into bed.

"Anakin, where have you been all the time?" James asked quietly.

"Homework," Anakin replied dully.

"But the library has been closed before long."

"And then I had detention with Professor Kenobi."

"He gave you detention? Why the - Because of this morning?"

"I think so."

"He didn't!" James exclaimed angrily. "He gave_ you _detention of all people? But you were the only one to stay in the end! That's unfair, he punished you because you stayed?! Padfoot, wake up!"

In the bed next to James's, there was an indignant groaning. "Why're ya shoutin'? It's... it's in the middle of the night. What the hell's wrong?"

"Kenobi gave Anakin detention - only Anakin, no one else!"

"What is it?" Sirius sleepily eyed through the curtains around his bed.

"Anakin got detention!" James ranted. "Because he stayed, so he got all the punishment!"

"So what?" Sirius mumbled groggily.

"So what?!" James exclaimed. "That's unfair! We can't let that happen!"

"Sure, sure, Kenobi's a big asshole but is that a reason to shout like that in the middle of the night?"

"Shut up," the sleepy voice of Remus could be heard.

"What is it?" Peter asked nervously.

"Can't we discuss it tomorrow?" Sirius suggested.

"But we have to do something," James insisted.

"Yeah, sleep. Everything else can wait until tomorrow," Sirius grunted and went back to sleep.

"We will do something about it," James promised Anakin.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Anakin said hesitantly.

"What do you mean? Of course we will do something about it! He can't do that! It's not fair!"

"He'll have his reasons," Anakin muttered and then he pulled his blanket around himself and immediately fell asleep.

The next morning, Anakin felt already better. He had Charms, which was taught by a teacher almost as small as Master Yoda. Professor Flitwick (that's what he was called) taught them to use "nonverbal spells". It meant they had to move things (cushions) without saying a word. Surprisingly, Anakin was the best. He slightly moved his wand, trying to do it like the other students and used the Force in order to levitate the cushions. It was a piece of cake, really. Professor Flitwick, however, was freaking out with delight at Anakin's work. He bounced enthusiastically up and down, wriggling his tiny hands and watching Anakin in complete awe.

"My dear boy, you're a natural!" he exclaimed. "I've never seen a student who could perform nonverbal spells as quickly and effortlessly as you can! Everyone, gather round, gather round! Watch how Mr. Skywalker does it!"

Anakin really liked Professor Flitwick. He had given Anakin more words of appraisal in five minutes than Obi-Wan had given him in more than five years! And of course it was very polite of him to call Anakin 'Mr. Skywalker'.

"Great, great!" Professor Flitwick raved. "That's thirty points to Gryffindor because of your incredible performance, Mr. Skywalker!"

Sirius, who had just managed to lift his cushion up from the ground for a few centimetres, scowled deeply. Compared to the other students, he was doing fine. Most of the students just glared apprehensively at the cushions and furiously stabbed their wands into the air. None of them used the Force.

After the lesson, Professor Flitwick called Anakin back. "Mr. Skywalker, I wonder, have you ever performed nonverbal spells before?"

"Yes, Sir," Anakin said truthfully. "A little bit." Well, he had not really done 'nonverbal spells' but at least he had done before what he had done today. It would not be fair to show off and claim he was such a natural.

"Then I guess you're ahead of the class. I hope it's not too boring to you. I would dearly appreciate if you helped the other students."

"That's not a problem, Sir."

"That's nice of you. How come you can already do nonverbal spells? You had private lessons before you came to Hogwarts, right?"

"Um, yes, Professor Kenobi taught me."

"Ah, I see." Professor Flitwick smiled. "He must be a really good teacher then."

Anakin just nodded. What else could he have said? _He is a good teacher, maybe, but not as good as you or Master Yoda or Qui-Gon. I'd rather have a more understanding teacher. Someone who sometimes listens to me. Someone who's not such a damn perfect Jedi._


	4. Detention and new Plans

**Author's Note:** Yes, I know, it took me a long time to update...which I'm sorry for... but at least this chapter is very long (and I named the chapters!). It will probably take me a bit longer again to update - as I said before, my priority is my other fanfic "Servants of the Force". Also, I have to do lots of things for university right now... Despite all this, I hope there are still people who read this story. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter (review replies on my profile page). Ten days till HP and the Deathly Hallows!

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**Chapter 4**

Obi-Wan did not like Hogwarts. To say he _hated_ Hogwarts would not be good because a Jedi must not hate. But the feeling Obi-Wan had for this so-called school was pretty close to hate. The students' behaviour was unbelievable. No matter what he said: Nothing impressed those impudent kids. They did not seem to be aware of the fact that the school was there for them to learn something, that they needed to be prepared for their future. No, they seemed to think school was some sort of punishment. And playing pranks on Obi-Wan seemed to be a competition. He wondered if they behaved like that to the other teachers too. Or were the other teachers stricter and had earned their students' respect with their knowledge and power?

It was only his second day as a teacher at this school but he was already thoroughly exhausted. Today his briefcase had exploded. And that had been _second years_. He already dreaded the day when he had to teach the Gryffindor five years again. Maybe he _should_ do what Anakin had suggested and get himself sacked.

That was, of course, out of question. Their mission was to protect this school from Voldemort and he could not simply run away from his responsibility. Though, more than once, the unbidden thought crept into Obi-Wan's mind that there was nothing worthwhile to protect about this school. Not very Jedi-like thoughts… He quickly released them into the Force.

Somehow, he would get through this mission. Hopefully quickly. He just hoped it would not affect his already complicated Padawan too much. It had been humiliating, utterly humiliating when his Padawan had laughed at him in that horrible situation. And it had hurt. It had hurt that they had made a mockery of him, that his Padawan had been involved in it and had enjoyed mocking his Master. A Padawan should never see his Master in such a situation. A Padawan should respect his Master. Respect was essential in a Master-Padawan-relationship. Obi-Wan was not much older than Anakin and sometimes it felt more as if they were brothers but he could not let that happen. It was important that his Padawan obeyed him. How else were they supposed to cooperate successfully?

He just whished he had not made such a fool of himself. If he had just taken the situation with stride… There was nothing dreadfully wrong with having a bit of fun from time to time but if it went beyond the limits of good taste… No, there certainly had to be limits and he, as a teacher, had the responsibility to teach the students about such limits. He could not tolerate everything just in order to be a nice or cool teacher.

Right now, Obi-Wan was trying to save what could still be used from the remnants of his exploded briefcase. He sighed deeply. The books which he had borrowed from the library only yesterday did not look good. A few pages were ripped or crumpled (some were even burned so much they were not readable anymore) and the covers were singed black. With a very bad feeling, Obi-Wan read once again the first page of the book _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard:

_A Warning: If you rip, tear, shred, bend, fold, deface, disfigure, smear, smudge, throw, drop, or in any other manner damage, mistreat or show lack of respect towards this boo__k, the consequences will be as awful as it is within my power to make them_.

_Irma Pince, the Librarian. _

_I have a bad feeling about this_, Obi-Wan thought worriedly. The librarian had already seemed slightly suspicious – or at least reluctant to let her books go – when Obi-Wan had emptied half the shelves which contained books about the Dark Arts. How could he ever explain _this_?

When he desperately tried to think up a suitable excuse for the strict librarian, someone knocked rather loudly on his door. "Yes, come in," he called.

There were his two least favourite students, the boy called Remus Lupin and another boy who tried to hide behind the others and whose name Obi-Wan did not know. Obi-Wan was immediately on red alert. He feared the worst. "Hello," he said politely, "what can I do for you?"

"We came here because of the last lesson," Sirius Black explained.

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows. They certainly had not come to apologise, had they?

Of course they had not come to apologise, Sirius's next words proved him right. "We heard that you gave Anakin detention," he stated accusingly.

Obi-Wan said nothing, so James Potter continued, "It's unfair of you to punish him. Just because he stayed when everyone else left. It's unfair. He's the last one who should get detention."

Obi-Wan eyed the boys sternly. "I think you should leave that decision to me."

"You're making a mistake, Professor," Remus Lupin said insistently. "He was not the one who was responsible for it. We did it."

"Yeah, it was my idea," James said and he sounded slightly proud of himself.

"I endowed the music," Sirius said.

"And I had the ingredients for the potion," Remus added.

"I threw the potion in your face," Sirius continued.

"And I put the _Tarantallegra_ spell on you," James finished.

"Do you want me to congratulate you on your success?" Obi-Wan said sardonically. "I know very well it was not Anakin who did it." _Because he can't brew such potions and because – fortunately – he can't make me do…things. _

"Then why do you punish him for it?" James asked incredulously.

"I have my reasons," Obi-Wan replied curtly.

"Why?" James demanded to know.

"Because…"

"Because what?"

"Just because," Obi-Wan said impatiently. "You will not change my mind. I'm glad, of course, that you feel at least a bit guilty because your classmate is in such a situation. It's nice of you to stand up for him."

"_We_ don't feel guilty," Sirius protested. "_You_ should feel guilty."

For a moment, Obi-Wan was lost for words. And he had always thought _Anakin_ was an impudent student. Compared to Sirius and James, he was as innocent as a lamb.

"Yes," James affirmed, "for punishing Anakin of all people. It's really, really unfair. I don't fucking understand! Why, in the name of –"

"Okay, that's enough," Obi-Wan tried to sound authoritatively. "Please either talk in a civilised way to me or leave my office."

"It's just unfair," James said once again and the other three boys nodded and murmured their agreement.

"Fine, I got that, you think it's _unfair_," Obi-Wan concluded. "If you insist, I can give you detention too." Actually, it was not such a bad idea. He randomly grabbed four thick books from his desk and thrust them into the boys' hands respectively. "Here, write me a summary of the books until Friday. I hope that satisfies your idea of justice. Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me?"

James and Sirius looked stunned, Remus looked worried and the fourth boy looked outright shocked. "You mean…until _this_ Friday?" Remus asked uncertainly, warily eyeing the thick book in his hands. "You mean the Friday…the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan confirmed. "Maybe you should better get started now, shouldn't you?"

When the four boys seemingly subdued left his office, Obi-Wan silently congratulated himself on his victory against these troublemakers. Little did he know that he had just committed a very, very serious mistake. Everyone at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry knew: You'd better not mess with the Marauders.

ooooooo

Anakin had spent several hours in the library, trying to find some books which might help him with his Transfiguration homework. How, in the name of the almighty Force, was he to make snails vanish? He had tried of course to subtly "convince" Professor McGonagall that she did not see a snail anymore but it seemed Jedi mind tricks did not work on her. That only increased Anakin's suspicion against her. There was something decidedly fishy about that woman…

After several hours of fruitless research in the library under Madam Pince's watchful and highly suspicious eye, Anakin returned to the Gryffindor Tower in frustration where he met Sirius, James, Remus and Peter, who were engaged in a heated discussion.

"He's the worst person I've ever, ever met!" James ranted. "Worse than Avery, worse than Nott, worse than _Snivellus_!"

Remus raised one eyebrow, slightly amused as it seemed. "I never thought I'd hear you say that."

"He's crazy," Peter stated, looking dumbfounded at an extremely thick book in his hands. "How am I ever going to read it _and_ write a summary of it in _just two days_? _And_ I have to understand it on top of everything. Look, that's not even proper language!" He held up the book so the others could read its title: _Magick Most Evile._

"Oh, you have to summarise such books too?" Anakin joined in the conversation. "I had to do it yesterday too and I bet I'm in for it this evening again. You got a really thick one," he told Peter sympathetically.

"Do you think you could help me with it?" Peter asked hopefully.

"PETER!" James shouted, outraged. "You don't honestly plan to actually do this, do you?!"

"Erm, do I?" Peter said, looking a bit taken aback. "I…I thought…"

"You better leave the thinking to the rest of us," Sirius said.

Peter flushed and nervously shuffled his feet. "Uh, so what were you thinking?"

Sirius looked around at the four of them and said solemnly, "Fellow Marauders…and Anakin: This calls for revenge." Anakin winced upon hearing the last word. Where had he gotten himself into? Sirius extended his hand and the other three boys put their hands on top of his.

"What about you?" James addressed Anakin. "Are you in on it?"

"In on what?" Anakin asked nervously.

"Preparing a nice next lesson for Kenobi," James said, his eyes sparking in anticipation.

Anakin's stomach dropped. _Oh no. Not again. _"I…I don't think that's a good idea," he said lamely.

"I agree with him," Remus supported him. "We shouldn't blow it with Professor Kenobi. He seems to be someone who is not able to take a joke."

"Well, _I_ know it is a _very_ good idea," Sirius said, grinning mischievously.

"Come on, Anakin, it's going to be fun," James said.

"No. I…can't do this. You see, I have already detention and I don't want to get some more."

"Hey, we have detention too," James encouraged him. "There's an easy way to avoid it: You simply don't do your detention."

"No, I… Sorry, I will not take part in this," Anakin muttered. The others looked at him, frowning. "I've still got so much homework to do," he helplessly babbled on, "and I'm new at this school and I don't want to get into trouble right at the beginning…" The other boys looked disappointed but fortunately they left it at that.

ooooooo

There was one thing Obi-Wan liked about Hogwarts: The food. In the Jedi Temple, you always had to choose your food very carefully. With all the different species and their special nutritional needs, there were always things which you should try to avoid. Food for Mon Calamarians, for example, tended to be horribly oversalted. And, worst of all, Yoda's stews. In Hogwarts, however, the food was finely adjusted to human taste.

Helping himself to another portion of mashed potatoes, Obi-Wan was able to relax slightly after yet another horrendous day. Their secret contact had just informed him about the details of their current mission. His Padawan had not shown up at the meeting, which had annoyed Obi-Wan very much. Why could the boy not be more reliable?!

Obi-Wan had given detention to seven more students today, he had taken sixty-eight points from Gryffindor, fifty-eight points from Slytherin, twenty-five point from Hufflepuff and ten points from Ravenclaw. The seventh year NEWT-level class had tormented him with questions about Parseltongues today and it had been a hard time to pretend to know something about the subject. A third year Gryffindor had used a tickling charm on him and he had had to leave the classroom to calm down his uncontrollable giggling. He had tripped into two vanishing steps – and several students had witnessed it and clearly enjoyed themselves. Last but not least, he had really got into trouble with the librarian and from now on, he was banned from the library for the rest of his life, as Madam Pince had put it.

"Well, Professor Kenobi, how were your first days at Hogwarts?" Professor Flitwick, who sat next to him at the table, addressed him.

"It was…okay," Obi-Wan lied bluntly.

Flitwick smiled cheerfully at him. "So you like it here?"

"Yes. Very much." Obi-Wan quickly took a sip of his pumpkin juice to hide his grimace.

"That's good to hear. I've been teaching here for years and there's nothing in the world I'd rather do."

"Ah," Obi-Wan commented, thinking wistfully of all the other things in the world he would rather do.

"So have you already had the pleasure to meet the Marauders?"

"Erm…"

"Gryffindor, fifth year, the worst troublemakers of the school –"

"Oh yes, sure, I've met them," Obi-Wan stated, rolling his eyes.

Flitwick giggled. "I take it they already played a prank on you? Oooh, you have no idea what they have already done to me," Flitwick said enthusiastically. "They're brilliant, I've seldom seen such creative hexes and perfect spellwork in pranks before."

"If only they were as brilliant in class as their pranks are..."

"They are. Well, most of the time they just don't pay attention to the lessons. But occasionally they do behave themselves. They're nice boys, good at heart."

"I'm sure they are."

Seeming not to notice the bitter irony in Obi-Wan's voice, Flitwick continued pleasantly, "I'm sure you will soon earn their respect. You must be a good teacher."

_What?!_ Whatever had given Flitwick that idea?! Obi-Wan chose to say nothing in return but just frowned very hard.

"You taught Anakin Skywalker before he came to Hogwarts, didn't you? I saw he's far ahead of his classmates. I've never seen a fifth year performing nonverbal spells so effortlessly. It's really astounding."

Obi-Wan felt like shaking his head disapprovingly at Anakin's behaviour but instead he forced a tight smile. "Yes, he's very talented in nonverbal spells." _I think we need to have a serious discussion this evening, Padawan._

ooooooo

Anakin was tired. He had worked day and night during the last days, had read books and written essays, homework, detention… It was taking its toll on him. Exhaustedly, he trudged through the Gryffindor common room to go to yet another evening of long and boring detention in Obi-Wan's office.

"You shouldn't go there again."

"Huh?" Anakin looked up in surprise to find himself face to face with James, who stood in front of the portrait hole.

"It's not right, Anakin," James insisted. "You can't let him do that to you."

"It's alright," Anakin muttered tiredly. "Don't worry." He was not in the mood to argue.

James, however, did not give up that easily. "Why do you never do anything against it? Why do you just accept it?"

In spite of himself, Anakin had to grin. _Tell that to the Jedi. Tell them I'm too accepting and not rebellious enough._ "It's just a bit of writing," he assured James.

James did not look happy but he finally let Anakin pass through the portrait hole. "But remember to ask him if you can get a free evening tomorrow," he reminded Anakin for the eighth time this day, "because of Quidditch training."

"Sure. See you."

Anakin really hoped Obi-Wan was in a good mood today. He had done some research on Quidditch and it sounded like _lots_ of fun. Besides, he did not know how James would take the news if Anakin was not allowed to take part in Quidditch training. He would probably plan a new and even more evil prank on Obi-Wan and that was something Anakin would rather try to avoid.

Anakin knocked on Obi-Wan's door, bowed politely as a good Padawan should do and said, "Good evening, Master."

"_Padawan_."

Involuntarily, Anakin ducked his head. That did not sound good.

"Why haven't you come to the meeting with our contact?" Obi-Wan asked in an accusing tone.

_Oh no!_ Anakin winced. He had completely forgotten about that! "I'm sorry, Master. I…forgot." It was not a very clever thing to say but lying to your Master would get you in even more trouble.

"You forgot."

"Yes, Master. I'm sorry, Master."

"Do you know why we're here, Padawan?"

"Yes, Master."

"Remind me again."

"Because we have a mission to do."

"Exactly." Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest and sent Anakin one of his sternest Master-glares. "And what was so important that distracted you from our mission?"

"Homework. Lots of homework. I have no idea what the teachers talk about, I don't understand a word and I don't know how to do my homework – I've already worked on the Transfiguration homework for days and it takes me hours to write just a few sentences because I have to look up everything in the library and I don't know in which book to look and –"

"Stop rambling, Padawan," Obi-Wan interrupted him. Relieved, Anakin realised his Master did not sound as annoyed anymore as before. "To sum it up: There are rumours of Lord Voldemort planning to attack this school soon. He is a wizard who is very powerful in the dark arts. His followers, the Death Eaters, always wear black masks, that's how we can recognise them. Also, they have a symbol, it's called the Dark Mark, an image of a green skull and a snake, which they conjure up in the sky. They only use their wands to attack, they don't have other weapons."

"Well, then we shouldn't have a problem, should we?"

"There is indeed a problem," Obi-Wan said gravely. "Do you have your lightsaber with you?"

"Of course, Master."

"Activate it."

Not knowing what exactly his Master wanted him to do, Anakin unhooked his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it. Well, he _tried_ to ignite it. But nothing happened. He pressed the power button again and again – in vain. "_Kriff!_ What the – That can't be possible, I've just reloaded the power cells a few days ago!" Blushing with embarrassment (carrying a malfunctioning lightsaber with him was certainly the worst he could do in Obi-Wan's opinion), Anakin furiously fumbled with his lightsaber and started dismantling it.

"Anakin, when will you ever learn _not_ to act so rashly?" Obi-Wan scolded him. "You can't fix it. It will not work."

Confused, Anakin looked up from the pieces of his disassembled lightsaber. "What do you mean, it will not work?"

"Mine doesn't work either."

Anakin breathed in relief. "Okay, that's good."

"That's _good_?!" Obi-Wan repeated, scandalised. "What is so good about the fact that our lightsabers do not work anymore?"

"Uh, nothing, it's just good that it wasn't me who forgot to reload the power cells or something like that. If it was just my lightsaber that didn't function, you'd lecture me now, wouldn't you?"

"And that would be so much worse than being completely defenceless with none of our lightsabers working?"

"Yes," Anakin said with conviction.

Obi-Wan sighed deeply. "Very well. If you see it like that… Your or my death would mean the end to your long suffering of having to endure my lectures. The chances of that are pretty high without our lightsabers to rely on."

"Really, Master, you must be more flexible", Anakin said superiorly. "You shouldn't rely only on your weapon. A weapon can be lost or destroyed but the Force will be with you, always. You must trust in the Force." He grinned complacently. He really liked lecturing his Master. A few seconds later, however, the grin froze on his face. Suddenly he understood the full implications of what was going on. Anakin gaped. "Oh no. Someone manipulated our lightsabers!"

"No, it's not as dramatic as that. Lightsabers – and all other technology for that matter – just do not work in Hogwarts castle."

Anakin shook his head in face of Obi-Wan's ignorance. "Excuse me, Master, but this just shows once again that you have no idea of technology. There's nothing which would simply stop all technological things from functioning. Something like that just doesn't exist. It cannot exist. Or can you explain to me what kind of highly intelligent device could keep all the different technological things from working?"

Obi-Wan gave him a bemused look. "I'm sorry, my young Padawan learner, but this shows once again that you have no idea of the power of the Force, magic, religion or other things people believe in."

"Oh." Grinning sheepishly, Anakin bit his lip. "So it's magic, right?"

"Indeed. For some reason, magic and technology cannot coexist. In a place like Hogwarts, which is so full of powerful, ancient magic, technology doesn't stand a chance."

Impressed, Anakin looked at his Master. "How do you know all this stuff?"

"I happened to be at an important meeting where I was informed of such _stuff_ by our contact."

_Oh dear, I really put my foot in it__ - again_, Anakin mentally berated himself. "You know, Master, I'm really sorry I wasn't there."

"Yes, Anakin, I know."

"I'm truly sorry, Master."

"Yes, I got it. Maybe, in the future, you could try to behave in a way that you don't have to say 'Sorry, Master' quite so often? I imagine it must be quite humiliating."

"You have no idea… Well, did you have to apologise to your Master as often as I have to apologise to you?"

"No."

"I thought so… I'm really sorry you have to bear with me."

"Yes. Instead of apologising all the time, you could try to be nice for a change."

"Yes, Master." After apologising for his existence and everything else, Anakin thought now was probably the time to ask Obi-Wan about Quidditch training. His Master seemed in a slightly better mood now. "Master?" he said politely.

"Yes?"

"Tomorrow, there are the tryouts of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I was wondering if I could take part in it? I could catch up on the detentions another day…?"

Obi-Wan frowned. "In what exactly do you want to take part in?"

"Quidditch. It's a wizard sport. They fly on –"

"Padawan!" Obi-Wan interrupted him sharply. "Do I have to remind you _again_ why we're here? We're not here for you to enjoy yourself. I work myself to death and you think you have nothing better to do than _flying_?!" The last word was uttered with sheer revulsion.

"It's just one evening, and James asked me again and again if I would come," Anakin tried but was again interrupted by his Master.

"No. I forbid you to take part in it."

"You're being unfair, Master," Anakin complained. "It's not as if I'm lazy or something like that. I have to work really hard if I don't want to look suspicious because I don't understand anything in class."

"Well, then you'd better spend your time on studying than on showing off."

"What?!" Anakin angrily glared at Obi-Wan. "I'm _not_ showing off!"

"Professor Flitwick told me something entirely else today. He seemed really impressed by your unnatural abilities in performing nonverbal spells. Is it really necessary to try to impress everyone so much? Don't you get enough appraisal at the Jedi Temple?"

Being suddenly close to angry tears, Anakin bit his lip very hard. Yes, he did not get enough appraisal at the Jedi Temple, especially a certain Jedi Master never acknowledged his achievements but that was not the point now. "I did not do it do show off," he snarled through gritted teeth. "You told me to use the Force when I am supposed to do magic and that's all I did. How should I know it's not normal for a fifth year to be so good at nonverbal spells?"

"Maybe you should have paid more attention to the other students," Obi-Wan lectured him. "How many times do I have to tell you again to be mindful of your surroundings?"

"I _know_ this lecture," Anakin muttered.

"What did I tell you before this mission?" Obi-Wan said in a perfectly controlled voice.

"How should I know?" Anakin exploded. "You told me loads of things, of course you did, you always lecture me all the time! Which lecture do you want me to recite now? _This weapon is you life_? Or: _Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side of the Force_? Maybe: _Control your impatience, my very young Padawan learner_?"

"I told you not to draw too much attention to yourself," Obi-Wan said rather coldly.

"Yeah, I'm sorry!" Anakin spat, not meaning a word of it. "Do you think you do better? You're not such a convincing magic teacher either! The whole school's talking about you being such a horrible teacher! You call that not drawing attention to yourself? That's just unfair!"

"Okay, that's enough," Obi-Wan said in a harsh voice. It seemed Anakin had hit a nerve. "Start with your detention now. And by the way, I think you're far too old to send others to help you get out of this. You're old enough to accept responsibility for your actions and therefore you have to live with the consequences of your mistakes. I don't want you to send your friends to me to complain again, is that understood, Padawan?"

"Excuse me?" Anakin said incredulously. "I didn't send _anyone_ to complain."

"Then what gives them the idea that it's unfair of me to punish you instead of them?"

"Well, maybe they simply have a normal sense of justice! I don't understand it either: Why do you punish only me for what happened?"

"Because you're my Padawan and they are not."

It was said with such finality that Anakin knew he had lost the argument. "I just wish you'd believe me once," he muttered, staring angrily down at the books waiting for him to read them through. "I didn't send them to you. But you never believe me. I'm always the bad boy, right? Every time I get into a fight with one of the other Padawans, it's always me who is the meanie. You always only believe Ferus Olin and the others."

"Start with you work now," Obi-Wan said calmly.

Not deigning him a glance, Anakin grabbed the quill (and almost broke it in his anger) and started scratching the parchment furiously as if all of this was its fault.

After several hours, Anakin's anger at the quill and the parchment seemed wholly justified. He still had not got used to that way of writing and the pain in his fingers and wrist had got worse with each slowly passing evening of detention. And he was so tired… He had not been able to go to bed before midnight for days. All of that would have been bearable if Obi-Wan would just speak a few words from time to time. Anakin hated the strained silence between them. It made him all jittery, causing his scratchy writing to look even worse. He could cope with rebukes, lectures and scolding (after all, he practically got that every day) but he could not cope with this silence.

Another problem about the silence was that it did nothing to distract you from your tiredness. The thick droplets of rain which drummed against the window did their bit. It was already dark outside and inside the room it was so pleasantly warm…

Anakin forced his eyes to stay open and proceeded with the next paragraph. He frowned very hard because he did not understand a word of it. What was the last thing he had read? He reread the last sentences he had written and frowned even more upon doing so.

_Dark creatures are a physical embodiment of dark magic!!!_

_Manticores: not evil, predator, only attack because I'm hungry_

_Bun cheese: dark__ dark, sing_

Nothing of it made sense anymore. Suppressing a deep sigh of exhaustion, Anakin went on reading the book.

_Earlier, people believed banshees were only messengers of death. Recent research, however, __discovered that their singing is actually the cause of death. Seeing that there is no purpose behind their attack but sheer malice, banshees must be classified as dark creatures now as well. One counterargument often raised against this classification is that banshees do have a reason to sing people to death: they want their victim's clothes. Whether this is a valid justification… _

ooooooo

Anakin woke up, sprawled over books and parchment. Disoriented, he blinked a few times until he remembered that he was in Obi-Wan's office where he was supposed to do his detention. He had no idea how long he had been sleeping but he felt even more tired now than before. Lifting his head from his hard pillow of books, he nervously took a look around. Fortunately, Obi-Wan was nowhere to be seen. Anakin would never hear the end of it if Obi-Wan found out he had fallen asleep during detention. He looked at the last notes he had taken:

_Bun cheese: dark dark, sing, dark creature__s, not dark because she need clothes_

Anakin groaned. Very intelligent. How was anyone going to understand what that meant? Even he himself did not understand it. Using the Force to call the quill in his aching hand, Anakin crossed out the whole "sentence".

"Slept well?"

Jumping slightly in his chair, Anakin looked up to see Obi-Wan standing in the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. "Sorry, Master," Anakin muttered. It was a lame thing to say of course but his sleep-fogged brain refused to come up with something more intelligent.

"Would you like some cocoa?"

"Hm?" Anakin blinked his sleepy eyes open, trying to figure out what his Master was talking about.

"It's something to drink," Obi-Wan explained.

"Ah," Anakin concluded.

A few moments later, Obi-Wan placed a mug with something steaming hot and smelling nice in front of Anakin. A part of him registered in relief that Obi-Wan did not seem to be angry at him anymore, not even for falling asleep.

"Thanks," Anakin mumbled and grabbed the big mug. Unfortunately, his exhausted hands failed him and the mug fell down, spilling its hot, brown, sticky content over the parchment and the books.

"Oh _no_," Anakin and Obi-Wan said in unison.

Anakin briefly closed his eyes. _Obi-Wan is going to kill me._

"Madam Pince is going to kill me," Obi-Wan lamented.

For a moment of stunned silence, the two of them watched the thick liquid soak the parchment and the books. There was nothing they could do. When the first thick droplet dropped on the floor, Obi-Wan let out a long, weary sigh. Anakin bit down all the nasty swearwords he had on his tongue. Sighing once more, Obi-Wan seized the corner of the parchment with two fingers, fished it out of the mess and examined it. The brown liquid had blurred the ink. Everything Anakin had written tonight had become unreadable.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan muttered. "All your work today…for nothing."

"Well, what I wrote was crap anyway." Anakin did not particularly regret the damage of his scribblings.

Obi-Wan tiredly rubbed his forehead. "Well, I guess it's time to go to bed."

"I agree."

"Goodnight, Padawan. Come here tomorrow again after your Kwittix training."

Anakin pricked up his ears. "I'm allowed to go there?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, yes," Obi-Wan shrugged it off. "We wouldn't want you to draw attention to yourself by not coming, right?"

"Sure." Anakin smiled broadly. Sometimes his Master could be likeable. "Thanks, Master. Goodnight." Already feeling much better, Anakin went off to the Gryffindor tower.

"And Anakin?" Obi-Wan called him back. "There's a vanishing step in the staircase upwards. Don't trip into it. It's the seventh step."

"Alright, I will be careful." Everything looked much brighter now. There was only this one problem that he did not know how to do Quidditch. Hopefully he would not make a fool of himself. He was thinking up a good excuse for his presumably poor Quidditch qualities (maybe he could tell everyone his father had never allowed him to play Quidditch because he thought it was too dangerous), when suddenly he stumbled.

"_Ouch_!" he cursed. "What the –" He glared down at his right foot, which was stuck in a gap between the steps. "Anakin Skywalker, you're the dumbest idiot ever," he scolded himself while trying in vain to free his foot.

"How true," someone behind him remarked in a dry voice.

Anakin's face reddened remarkably when he recognised the voice as his Master's. "I'm, uh, in a, uh… I was, uh, it was not…"

Obi-Wan grabbed him under the arms, pulled him out of the gap and scrutinised him critically. Anakin could tell he had to refrain very hard from grinning and rolling his eyes. "Why do you never listen to me?"

"I'm sorry, Master."

Obi-Wan gave him a little pat on the back. "Go to bed now. And be careful with the stairs."

"I'll try." His cheeks still burning with embarrassment, Anakin made his way back to his dormitory. This time, he double-checked each step.


End file.
